D.C.’s Looking for a Night Mayor

DC nightlife is growing, now the government thinks someone should be monitoring it. Courtesy of Washington.org

By Daniela Sol

D.C. has been recently tabbed as a city that goes too hard in the partying area and will be needing a bureaucratic position to better control it. According to The Washington Post, D.C. is in search of a “Night Mayor” that will be appointed by the mayor of D.C., Muriel Bowser. As a policy presented by D.C. council member Brandon T. Todd, this new government official would act as a liaison between government, community leaders and business owners to handle nightlife issues from the bars, restaurants, and other entertainment occurring in the District.

This is something that has been introduced due to the amount of growth in the opening of restaurants and bars in D.C. in the past years. The government has decided that, since it has expanded so much in this category, there must be a government position to monitor both the money that’s being made from the industry as well as the tremendous impact it has had in the community.
According to the National Restaurant Association the number of restaurants and bars that have opened in D.C. has increased by a whopping 30%. And according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the revenue from the industries will be about $2 billion in sales in 2017. There were about 63,400 new job opening in 2017 and it is still bound to increase 6% by 2027.

According to The Washington Post, business owners are worries that this means more bureaucratic paperwork and more regulations when managing their businesses. But, the D.C. government has stated that this will not be the case. It will follow the goals of the newly-established Office of Nightlife in New York City which has only worked to preserve and help the folksy places that makes New York, New York. We’re hoping it’s the same case here in D.C.

Another reason why this new government project has been initiated is due to the ongoing gentrification that’s been taking place in DC. It can be clearly seen here in our neighborhood, Brookland. New apartment building complexes, restaurants, supermarkets, and other things have been changing CUA’s neighborhood. The job of the Night Mayor would be to monitor this expansion and ensure that the citizens that inhabit the changing neighborhoods are happy with the new changes. Most importantly, the mayor would make sure the new places are quiet and do not disturb the neighborhood in a rowdy way.

The Post explained how the cabinet would consist of an executive at Events D.C., a member of the business community, someone employed in the creative industry, a member of the board of directors of a Business Improvement District and an administrator from a District-based college. For what is explained, this is a branch that will help the social life in D.C. expand and help the industry to be managed in a way that will positively impact everyone involved.

This new government branch will be discussed on a public hearing that will take place November 8th which will then have to work its way in the Committee of Government Operations.